While 2009 probably had more losers than winners, it was a particularly good year for Central Park, hailed as a “next generation urban business park” by developer Ask Goodman, which saw the former hospital site in north east Manchester as having the potential to combine the best of out of town and city centre space.
If it’s March it must be MIPIM. Although reduced in scale from the colossal events of property’s boom years, the international property and inward investment exhibition continues to be the only place to be seen for much of the property industry in mid-March.
Planning consultants, like everybody else, have had to get smart and work out how to survive and thrive in a world where business isn’t as easy to come by as was the case a few short years ago.
Following a quiet year for the region’s venture capitalists and private equity houses, efforts are underway to focus the industry on a productive future. MPEG, or Manchester Private Equity Group, shows a determination to make Manchester a regional centre.
In a region of contrast for our overseas trade relations, the UK Trade & Investment targets no fewer than five high growth markets in South East Asia. Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam are all high on the list of the government as strategic partners. Alongside, there are no official efforts to promote trade in Laos, East Timor and Cambodia, and any sort of trading with Burma is discouraged by the government.
Many businesses have been in the uncomfortable position of having to reduce headcount over the last 18 months and having effective and robust human resources policies has never been more important. But still battles lie ahead, with as many companies expected to struggle as the UK emerges from recession as have done with the economy at rock-bottom.
Finding the right insurance cover for your business can be a risky and time-consuming affair. From the wealth of information in promotional material and online how can you be sure which policy or policies are right for your business? And how much should you be paying? Contributions for this feature will come from insurance brokers and related industry professionals whose insight can help inform our readers’ decision-making on insurance matters.
Warrington continues to do very well in indices charting liveability and employment, but the success of outlying business parks and a decent reinvention of the shopping core in the shape of Golden Square mask issues with several key sites hampering the town’s progress. We’ll be looking at projects like the Warrington Waterfront, or the Bank Quay Area of Opportunity as the regional development agency’s strategic sites bills it, as well as other key sites. What are the aims of groups such as Warrington & Co?
As technology cuts deeper into our lives, more people are relying on mobile devices and the internet to manage their data and personal information, leaving individuals exposed. A survey by the Institute of Directors, which interviewed the bosses of 1,000 UK companies, indicated that there had been an 18 per cent increase in business-relate crime since September 2008. Government data slip-ups, growing internet trends such as social networking and the ever increasing prevalence of mobile phones, has created more opportunities for fraud.
